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Sopa de Fideo is a super classic Mexican staple, and today I’m sharing my Abuela’s recipe! You guys loved her sopa de arroz (Mexican rice), and this recipe is equally as good!
This is somewhat of a “struggle meal” as it’s extremely affordable to make, but also tasty and comforting. My Abuela made this for us a lot as kids, and to this day I get such a nostalgic feeling every time I have it.
What is Sopa de Fideo?
Sope de Fideo is a Mexican soup made with lightly toasted thin pasta noodles in a delicious and comforting tomato broth. I prefer my sopa de fideo more on the thin soupy side, but some people like it thicker and less soupy.
For a lot of Mexicans, this dish brings so many wonderful memories of our childhood. It reminds me so much of the authentic Mexican flavors I grew up eating, and I always think of my Abuela!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s SO easy! You don’t need that many ingredients, and it can be ready in 20 minutes.
- It’s child-friendly! Children love this dish, especially when made with alphabet or star shaped pasta!
- It can be prepped and stored in the refrigerator for a few days and reheated for quick meals.
- It’s extremely affordable
- This can be used as a base for a heartier meal- just add ingredients like potatoes and/or ground beef to make it a complete meal!
Ingredients
- Fideo pasta- also called vermicelli (not to be confused with vermicelli rice noodles). It comes in 7 oz bags at Walmart for 50 cents! If you can’t find it, you can also use angel hair pasta and break it into smaller pieces, or buy it on Amazon (but it’s kinda pricey).
- Neutral oil– a little oil to lightly fry the fideo, which brings out a nice toasty flavor. Any neutral oil is fine but I recommend avocado or olive oil.
- Tomatoes, garlic, and onion- blended to make a tomato salsa.
- Canned tomato sauce- I use half a can of El Pato hot tomato sauce for a couple reasons- when tomatoes are not in season, a little help from canned tomato sauce is needed for more flavor. I also prefer using the hot tomato sauce for a little spicy kick. It’s still mild in flavor overall, but with a tiny bit of heat.
- Seasoning- you only need salt and Knorr chicken bouillon for this recipe.
- Water– you can use chicken broth instead of water here, but I prefer using Knorr chicken bouillon + water simply because it’s convenient and I always have it.
- Cilantro- not required, but this definitely adds some great flavor!
Optional toppings
- Corn tortilla with mayo- this is my preferred way to eat fideo.
- Cheese– it’s pretty common to add cheese! Queso fresco or cotija are great options.
- Cilantro- cilantro is already boiled into the soup, but some fresh chopped cilantro to finish always nice.
- Crema- aka sour cream, this is how my family ate fideo growing up.
- Bananas- ok, I know it sounds weird but this is actually not that uncommon in Mexico. My family grow up eating fideo with bananas too. Try it!
More easy soup recipes
If you like this recipe, try some of my other easy soup recipes on the blog!
Sopa de Fideo
Ingredients
- 1 (7 oz package) fideo pasta , or angel hair pasta, broken up
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, avocado oil recommended
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce, El Pato hot tomato sauce recommended for a little kick
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 small onion
- 4 tsp Knorr chicken bouillon
- 6-7 cups water
- salt to taste, 1/2 tsp recommended
- cilantro
Optional Toppings/Sides
- cilantro
- sour cream
- banana slices
- tortilla with mayo
- queso fresco or cotija cheese
Instructions
- Combine the roma tomatoes, onion, garlic, and Knorr chicken bouillon and blend until smooth. You should have about 1 cup of tomato sauce. Pour through a fine mesh strainer and remove leftover solids.*If you prefer a thicker texture, don't strain the tomato sauce. I like my fideo more on the soupy, thinner side so I always strain it.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the fideo pasta and move it around frequently for 2-3 minutes until it becomes a light brown color.
- Pour in the blended tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of canned tomato sauce (I recommend El Pato Hot Tomato Sauce for a little spicy kick). Cook for 1-2 minutes and adjust the heat if needed.
- Add 6 to 7 cups of water and stir to combine. Taste the soup and add salt as needed. I add about 1/2 tsp. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the cilantro, then cover and reduce the heat to low for 10 minutes or until the fideo is cooked through.
- Serve immediately with your choice of toppings. My family eats it with bananas and sour cream, but I also love it with a corn tortilla and mayo!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am korean and my husband is mexican and we are newly married. went to his dad’s house recently as his family was visiting from out of town. his stepmother served this dish and I was so surprised how casual this dinner was with this soup. if it were koreans we would havd had a huge table with banchan and soup and meats. this was such a simple meal with some cheese and warm tortillas but it was so hearty and I was so surprised why it took 3 ladies to make this dish in the kitchen. came to realize they were making it from scratch 🤯. so glad you shared this recipe and so glad to find a korean mexican like yourself to be so well rounded in both cultures. I only hope my kid is the same in the future 🥲😝
I absolutely love this recipe!!! Reminding me of my childhood.
I love eating this soup, its simple and easy, i add few veggies (like moringa or sometimes with sardines) its the way we make in the Philippines) and with rice it’s delicious.
Loved this recipe! I grew up eating this with tacos dorados and now that I’m older I crave it on cold or rainy days. Thank you for sharing this staple meal!
Thanks
Such a comfort food for me. Love your recipe along with many others.
This a super easy and nostalgic recipe.
Super simple and easy to make and tastes authentic. I’ve been making fideo for awhile but this recipe definitely tasted better then mine. The hot tomato sauce definitely gave it the kick that my recipe was missing. Definitely won’t be going back to the old way I was making it.
We called it Soupita when we were kids! Never tried the banana but here goes nothing! Love this recipe.
I grew up eating fideo and this recipe was a throwback to my childhood. I went ahead and went to the store to buys the ingredients after seeing the reel made it and came out just as good as I remembered.
This is definitely the ultimate Mexican comfort food! I grew up with many close Mexican friends who became family and this always takes me back home! Thanks for sharing this simple recipe that hold so many warm feelings in my heart and brings so many friends and families together!:)
Immediately made this when it was posted.
My late grandmother used to make this for me and my siblings growing up. I know there are many different versions of this soup but this was so easy and so good and it just brought back so many memories eating this again.